Persona: The Shin Megami Tensei CrossOver
by Zetsuna
Summary: Dark Hour happens at the strike of midnight. So what is the "Sudden Hour"? Who is the strange scientist pulling the strings behind the scenes? Is it possible for time to be tampered with? Find out in this NEW crossover dedicated to the Persona series.
1. Card One: A new beginning

_Foreword:  
><em>Based on a few comments and pointers I had received from Tobi Tortue and personaaddict07. I've slightly improved my plot and rearranged the spaces. I do hope this will be a much better story and I am always open to honest criticism whether it be bad or good. So please enjoy reading my Fanfiction.

_10 years ago… _

**Somehow I found myself reflecting on my past once more. Like every other night**…

_Today, my family had planned to go for an outing together with my sister and me. Minako was excited as always, she sat beside me at the back seat as mother and father sat at the front. It was rare for father to have some free time to spend with us.  
>"Ne, Okaa-san! Where are we going for dinner?"<br>Minako asked and peeked at mother from behind. Mother chuckled "Well, where would you like to eat? Your father's in a very good mood today."  
>"Ne ne, Onii-san. Where should we go?" Minako turned to me and asked.<br>"How about that restaurant you like so much. Uh… I forgot"  
>Minako puffed out her cheeks and looked at me sternly.<br>"How could you forget, Onii-san?"  
>"Alright, settle down you two. We'll eat there for dinner then, alright Minako?" Father said and gave a quick glance to Minako. She gave a loud "Yay" and sat back on her seat.<br>I looked out the window. We were crossing the bridge to get to the other side of the island. I looked up at the sky and saw the brightly lit moon._

_"Hey, Minako. Take a look at the moon! Its so round and big!" I said and pointed out the window, causing Minako to quickly glance out."Wow! Look at it. Its so pretty, Okaa-san."  
><em>_Suddenly up ahead I saw some sort of fluttering mass glide towards us.  
><em>_"What the hell?"  
><em>_Father shouted and quickly turned the car to a stop, my door suddenly swung open causing me to fall out. I heard Minako's scream as I hit the roadside and rolled to a stop. My head was bleeding and throbbing, all around my vision was blurry, but I tried my best to stand up.  
><em>_"Okaa-san . . .? M-Minako?"  
><em>_The whole bridge was alight, my eyes grew wide as I turned to the source… _

**No, don't look. Please**…

_There was a burning wreckage, I recognized the vehicle immediately. Walking clumsily to the wreckage, my vision of the burning wreckage got clearer.  
><em>

**Stop it. I-I don't want to see it  
><strong>

_"Okaa-san…? Oto-san? Minako!"  
><em>_I shouted wearily and realized what had happened, in the distance was the cloaked mass, it held a gleaming object and seemed to be staring at me. I was frozen with fear, mother and father didn't move and were bleeding a lot, the fire was already consuming them. But where was Minako? On the other side of the car, Minako was still inside and was unconscious. Her head was bleeding and she wasn't moving. I had to save her somehow. I turned and was about to run to her but then suddenly I felt an extreme pain. The last thing I saw was a human figure walking towards me.  
><em>

**Who was she?**

_"I'm sorry. But this is the only way. Forgive me."  
><em>

**What is she?**

_The world went dark soon after._

___I woke up with a shout and found myself in the hospital, Minako was asleep on a bed next to mine. A doctor was busy checking on her status when he realized I was awake.  
>"Where's Okaa-san and Oto-san?" I asked wearily.<br>The doctor shook his head slowly.  
>"How's my sister?"<br>"She's…"  
>The doctor hesitated for a moment.<br>_"She's asleep. She won't wake up for a while."  
>He said with a sympathetic smile. My gaze turned towards my sister, who was smiling in her sleep. Luckily she had only suffered minor injuries and burns, so it would heal quickly. I hoped she was alright, she was my only family now. I rested myself on the pillow and looked at the ceiling, slowly drifting to sleep from fatigue.<br>The next time I woke up, Minako was already awake and was speaking to a doctor. She turned to me with a confused look.  
>"Nii-chan. Where's Okaa-san and Oto-san?"<br>My heart sank at her question, I opened my mouth to answer when the doctor shook his head towards me. I fell silent.  
>"I don't know."<br>"Ask the doctor, he may know." I continued dryly and looked up to the doctor.  
>He then explained the story that our 'parents' were waiting outside. Turns out our "parents" are my father's brother and his wife and had volunteered to adopt us. Minako seemed to have went through a very serious shock during the incident and couldn't remember most of the events in her life. She only has a vague image of all the people that she had met before because of her amnesia. The doctor had warned us that to prevent Minako's condition from worsening we should play along. <em>_

**_10 years of lies later…_**

It's my first day in Genkkoukan ever since I was moved to the Port Island once more.  
><em>10 years<em>… _Has it really been that long?_  
>I thought to myself as I continued watching the scenery outside the classroom through the window. The slow swaying of the trees, the sun seemingly hovering over the urban horizon, little sparrows flying about the morning air. A moment of calm serenity.<br>"Arisato…. Minato was it?" a bored voice asked, breaking the moment.  
>I ignored the voice and continued to watch the calm swaying of the trees.<br>"Arisato-san. Its time to wake up and embrace your destiny in answering the question." The voice continued, sounding displeased.  
>My neighbor lightly tapped me on the shoulder and broke my gaze, causing me to turn towards my grumbling teacher.<br>_Why are we even learning the origins of magic?  
><em> I stood up and answered it wrong as the class roared in laughter.  
>"Wrong, Arisato-san. May your family have peace tonight." He said in a mocking voice.<br>_I don't have one you idiot… They…  
><em>"Oh? You have a sister in the same class?" He suddenly said as he went over the class list.  
>"Arisato Minako, please tell your brother the right answer."<br>At the other end of the classroom, Minako stood up with a gleam in her eyes.  
>"It was founded in the 1450's!" She answered with a smile.<br>"Correct." The teacher sighed and continued his lecture.  
>"Are you ok, Arisato-san?" my neighbor asked with a curious blue gleam in her eyes. She moved her blonde hair behind her ear as she spoke. I nodded.<br>"Oh. Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Aigis."  
>She had a strange smile. Almost mechanical actually. I returned her smile halfheartedly and introduced myself.<br>"I hope we can become good companions in the future."  
>She said and turned her attention back to the black board. I looked out once more with a low sigh.<br>_What a strange girl._

Soon school was over, and the bell rang. "Don't forget to do your revision on the Oda period for tomorrow's class." The teacher said but it seemed that nobody paid attention.  
>"Yo, Minato! Wanna go catch some food with me at Hakagure's?" Junpei said as he patted my shoulder.<br>"Lighten up, Stupei." Yukari appeared with both her arms on her hip. "Minato's too tired to hang out. Isn't that right?" Yukari said with a worried expression.  
>"Yeah, you look kind of bummed out. You alright?" Junpei asked, taking a closer look at me.<br>_Tch. Why won't you guys just leave me alone?_I picked up my bag, shoved past Junpei and immediately walked out of class. My sister was with a group of other girls as they continued talking at the hallway. As I passed by them, I caught a glimpse of her warm smile. How gentle it was to see her smile like that everyday. It somehow gave me hope to face the passing days.  
>Before I realized it, I had already reached the dorm. I quickly went in the dorm. The soft "thud" of the door closing was followed by Mitsuru-sempai giving me a quick greeting. Silently, I walked towards the staircase and spotted an older man sitting on one of the couches. Probably someone in charge of the dorm.<br>_Who cares?  
><em>Climbing the flights of stairs to my room, I shut the door and instantly fell onto my bed. There were so many things running around my head. I put on my headsets, turning the volume up to maximum and shut my eyes. Various songs echoed in my head as it's melody blocked the world out.

The next day, I walked together with Minako to school. The early morning breeze was really refreshing for the morning walk. Students were walking past us as some hurried to school and some took their own slow pace. Once a while a classmate would greet us with a smile. Minako would return the greeting, I remained unresponsive and continued looking ahead, instead.  
>"Ne, nii-chan. We should probably send some gifts to mom and dad at Fukushiya. I'm sure they'll be happy to receive them." Minako said with a carefree smile as she turned to me.<br>I silently nodded holding back the words I've wanted to say 10 years ago.  
>"Good idea" was all I could say.<br>"Lets find something nice after school then, okay? Hey, Azumi-san!" Minako shouted as she met one of her friends on the way and walked ahead of me.  
>I watched Minako walk up to the school guiltily. She still couldn't remember that terrible accident 10 years ago.<em><br>Was it alright to leave it at that? To act like nothing has ever happened before?_

I decided to overcome my depression and start doing schoolwork. I listened to the teachers lecture and took down notes. For some reason though, Aigis seemed to be tense and looked worried throughout the whole day.  
><em>What's wrong with her?<br>_Before I could say a word, the atmosphere in class changed suddenly. For a moment it became unnaturally quiet, and before I realized it, there were upright coffins around the class.  
>"What the hell…?" I gasped, stumbling off my chair in disbelief.<br>Aigis ignored my reaction and stood up right away, looking at me sternly.  
>"Stay here." She said and rushed out of the room. Her figure disappearing out the door.<br>Yukari and Junpei got up from their seats looking frightened and pale. "What in bloody hell is going on?" Junpei shouted with his eyes wide open.  
>"Should we stay or get out?" Yukari panicked for a moment, realizing I was in a shocked daze. "Minato? Hey!" Yukari roughly shook me on the shoulders, waking me up from my temporary stupor.<br>I looked out the window, the sky had turn to an eerie green and there were shadows of distorted creatures wandering outside. "That's impossible." I took a few steps back, trying to understand what I just saw and paused. "Aigis told us to stay." I said turning to both Junpei and Yukari.

"Are you out of your mind? Coffins, Minato! You can see them can't you?" Junpei said and pointed to a coffin behind me.  
>Before I could reply, there was a deafening roar from outside the building, followed by monstrous shrill screams. "You see? Now lets go!" Junpei said and pulled both Yukari's hands and mine, dragging us out of the class.<br>We heard a loud crash from the lower floor. There was gunfire followed by an explosion. If this was some sort of attack, we should at least arm ourselves before escaping from whatever it is that is attacking the building.  
>"The storeroom. We need to arm ourselves with weapons or something." I said with a determined look.<br>"You're right. Junpei let's go." Yukari said and all three of us ran towards the storeroom across the floor. We passed by a few more coffins as we ran pass the coffin-filled classrooms.  
><em>Just what the hell is going on?<br>_We quickly opened the door and found all types of cleaning equipment. Junpei shrugged and went in "At least its better than nothing." He said and picked up a foldable "Wet Floor" sign.  
>"We'll get better equipment at the cafeteria." I said and picked up two partly rusting metal pipes. Yukari took a mop and some liquid detergents.<br>"Uh, Yuka-tan. We're not going to mop the school, right?" Junpei laughed but was immediately knocked in the head by the mop.  
>"Of course not, Stupei!"<p>

_What happened to Aigis? She hasn't returned at all.  
><em>My mind was filled with questions of the current situation._  
><em>Suddenly there was a scream, it was familiar. I recognized that scream and knew it was Minako.  
>"Minako!" I shouted and quickly ran out of the room, the two metal pipes hanging on my sides and a broom handle in my hands. Junpei and Yukari shouted back at me to return but I was too far to hear them by then. I followed the scream upstairs and found Minako cowering in the corner as large humanoid figures loomed over her.<br>"MINAKO!" I shouted and ran towards the monsters without thinking. I managed to knock the closest one down with the broomstick, which broke on impact. Twisting my body, I reached for both the pipes and smacked the other one right through the door leading into the class. My face, my clothes, they were all stained with blood, but I didn't notice as I was filled with adrenaline.  
>"Minako… Are you alright?" I panted and reached out my hand to her.<br>"N-Nii-san! I-I was so scared!" she cried and hugged me suddenly.  
>"No time to stop, Minako. We have to get out of here."<br>She nodded and picked up a metal pole that fell off the class door. We both quickly rushed down the stairs to regroup with everyone.

Suddenly we heard Yukari's scream as we climbed down the stairs. By the time we reached the lower floor something large flew right pass me and slammed into the wall.  
>"Heh. Had enough?" A familiar voice said. I turned to the voice and saw the school's boxing champion, Akihiko Sanada with a grin as he adjusted his black leather gloves. "You alright, Yukari?" He asked the fallen Yukari.<br>She nodded with a pained expression.  
>"Where's Junpei?" I asked and rushed over to the two.<br>"He's with Mitsuru, downstairs. They went to check on the people responsible for the gun fire." Akihiko said as he pulled Yukari up to stand.  
>"Nii-san… Look outside."<br>I looked out the window and saw a man walking towards the school ground dragging a bus stop sign that had traces of blood on it. A monster charged towards him but he easily knocked it aside with one heavy swing.  
>"Shinji?" Akihiko said as he looked out the window next to me.<br>The gunfire sounded much closer suddenly and we realized it's on the same floor now.  
>"Akihiko! We have to get to the roof!" Mitsuru shouted as she and Junpei ran towards us from the stairs on the other side. "These guys are shadow's aren't they?" Akihiko asked Mitsuru with a serious expression.<br>"Yes. They are." Mitsuru answered wiping her brow from the exertion.  
>"Aren't they supposed to-"<br>"RUN!"  
>Before Akihiko could finish Junpei ran past Akihiko towards the stairs behind me. I turned to see what he was running away from and spotted Aigis firing bullets at the monsters using her fingers.<br>_Is she some sort of android?  
><em>"Hurry! I cannot hold them off-"  
>All of a sudden, a large monster emerged from the stairs and knocked her aside, causing her to fly out the window. The sound of breaking glass jingled throughout the hallway. I watched Aigis as she got thrown off the building as the monster bellowed loudly.<br>_This can't be happening. None of this could be real! It's just a dream. But...  
>"Do you dare to find out?"<br>_There was a second voice in my head, and I was sure it wasn't mine.  
>"Lets go!" I shouted and turned towards the stairs, holding Minako's hand tightly. The monster roared and charged towards us.<p>

Everyone ran up the stairs except for Yukari. She stayed behind and spilt the detergent everywhere near the staircase and ran up after us. From upstairs we felt the crashing of the monster as it slipped and fell causing the whole building to shake. But we continued up the stairs away from those things.  
>As soon as we reached the roof and Junpei with Akihiko sealed the door shut. From the roof I saw Aigis's unmoving body.<br>_Is she dead? _I wondered and hope she was alright.  
>"Hey, Shinji! Up here!" Akihiko shouted to the man on the ground outside.<br>"Tch, what the hell did you guys get yourselves into this time, Aki?" Shinjiro retorted back to Akihiko. "We're not sure either, but how did you know we needed help?""Those things appeared in the city suddenly. But they seemed to be concentrating their movements to the school. So I decided to find out what's happening and I knew you and Mitsuru must be under heavy shit. Now stay put! You guys didn't bring your evokers right by the look of things?" Shinjiro spat to the ground and continued walking in fearlessly.  
>"The door!" Mitsuru shouted as the door burst open and countless monsters rushed through it.<p>

Everyone stood their ground and started fighting against the creatures. "Junpei!" Akihiko shouted and quickly knocked away a monster that almost delivered a fatal blow to the cap-wearing teen.  
>"If this keeps up…" Mitsuru became worried as she expertly brought down a monster with an epee.<br>I couldn't keep up with the pace of the monsters movement and was suddenly attacked from behind, "DAMN IT!" I spun in time and buried one of the pipes into its chest. Stepping back, I started breathing heavily and felt tired.  
>Minako continued repelling the monster's attack, but it seemed that she couldn't last long. She suddenly tripped and a large wolf-like monster took the chance, jumping towards her. Immediately I rushed forwards to save her, swinging the pipe towards the monster and intercepting its tackle. The pipe broke and I threw aside the broken remains. More were pouring in from the door, wave after wave. I clenched my fist as a group of them charged towards me. There were some shouts but it was drowned in the sea of roars.<br>_Is this the end? Can't I protect anyone? _

Time seemed to be in a stand still suddenly. Literally.  
>"Having some problems? Need help?" A voice said. I looked around, everything was immobile, suspended in mid-air. At the corner of my eye, I spotted a man dressed casually, there were 3 masks floating beside him. He was leaning near the door with a grin.<br>"Name's Aso, and I'm here to help you out of this 'infestation'. How about it?" He asked as he walked towards me. I remained silent, unsure of what to do. "Come on. The clock's ticking. I can't stop time forever you know." He chuckled at his own joke and stopped halfway, looking at me. Almost as if he was reading my mind "What is it that you desire at this very moment? Escape? Some sort of savior? What?" He said with a mischievous grin. "Oh well. If you don't want my help," He turned away slowly.  
>"Wait!" I called out. "I-I… I want to save everyone here."<br>"And you don't mind the consequences of attaining such power?" He asked mysteriously, slightly turning his head to face me.  
>After a long pause, "No."<br>"Then sign this contract." He said formally and a parchment appeared before my eyes along with a pen. Without thinking I quickly signed it and it instantly materialized in his hands. He nodded and looked at me.  
>"Well then. You are now an honorary guest of the Dark Room." He said with a smile. "Shall we begin?"<br>Before I could respond, he appeared in front of me and struck his hand right through my chest. I gagged and coughed at the sudden impact. I felt his hands moving in me, but it felt more like liquid. The sensation was unexplainable.  
><em>What is he doing to me?<br>_ Aso started muttering to himself and I felt his hard grip clenching something within me.  
>"I shall summon forth thou as my vessel for all eternity. Arise from the endless sea of the heart…."<p>

**"…. Thanatos" **

**_From that day on, my life had changed. But it was a price I was willing to pay._**

Afterword:

This is basically the first time I'm writing and actually publicizing my works. So please comment on it to tell me how I can improve and such. Probably my writing style or etc. Thank you again for reading this fan fiction of mine and I really appreciate it if I was given any feedbacks, positive or negative, because thats how one improves right?


	2. Card Two: What went wrong?

In front of me, some sort of monster immediately appeared and slashed off the shadows ahead. I stopped and gazed at the strange floating creature. It had a chain of coffins around it, it's gleaming sword dripped with blood, with a head that resembled some sort of reptilian skull. Looking ahead, it gave a piercing scream, causing everyone to stop and turn towards the creature. Even the smaller shadows looked frightened and retreated. All was well when suddenly, the huge shadow from before, appeared and snarled at us.

Before I could react, it instantly charged towards me with a murderous glare. Thanatos intercepted the shadow with its blade, but the shadow did not falter and instead crashed into Thanatos. A quick and bloody spar began between the two. Thanatos ended the fight by slicing the shadow through the neck, the disembodied head spun in the air for what felt like hours. Soon the beheaded shadow dropped to the ground, its head rolling off and it burst in a black cloudy mass. We were victorious. With a sigh of relief, I decided to check on everyone.

Suddenly at that moment, there was large ringing in my head. It felt like my head was on the verge of being split open, subconsciously I gripped my head as it throbbed with intense pain. I tried to stifle out a cry but it was useless and immediately fell onto my knees.

"Minato? Hey, are you alright?" Akihiko shouted as he quickly ran up to me, but jumped away at the last second as Thanatos swung its blade towards him.

"Hey, watch it. The shadows are gon- HEY!" Junpei shouted as he dodged Thanatos's slash in time.

But I couldn't think. The pain. This intense pain! All the sounds around me became muffled and the pain was all I could think about.

Thanatos continued slashing about as everyone scrambled around to avoid it's sudden rage.

Then suddenly, **"EVERYONE, GET DOWN!"** A gruff voice ordered and the last thing I remembered was the sound of shattering glass, a loud roar, and I was literally blown away to the side. The feeling of my body hitting the floor was my only stimulus.

Everything got dark and I lost sense of my surroundings.

"Welcome,"

My vision slowly returned as my eyes adjusted to the blurry scene. I then realized I was in a large dimly lit room. The walls, the floor, most of the furnitures were in velvet. There was also that sense of upwardness, the soft jolts that occurred in the room at random intervals reminded me of an elevator.

I turned towards the voice that had welcomed me earlier. An old man with a long nose sat in the middle of the room. He had a huge grin on his face, a lady dressed in velvet with grey hair stood beside him. She had a small smile on her lips as she held a large book close to her.

"to the Velvet Room, Minato Arisato." The man said, and brought both his hands upward dramatically.

I was still dizzy and unsure of how I ended up here.

"You must have a lot of questions, don't you?" The man continued and grinned at me.

I looked around, trying to absorb the things I saw. There were a few closed doors to the sides, and it seemed the room was somehow moving upwards. Was this really a room or was it a giant elevator?

"My name is Igor, and this is Elizabeth." The man said and directed my gaze to the lady in a grand fashion.

"But first before I continue, I need you to sign this contract." Igor said as a parchment and a feather pen appeared before my eyes.

"**Hold it**!" A familiar voice called out.

With a huge surprise I turned towards the voice and saw Aso leaning on a wall behind me.

_Since when was he behind me? I didn't even notice it._

Igor turned his gaze to Aso without any surprise etched on his old face. Elizabeth looked a bit worried as she noticed Aso's presence in the room.

"Azoth," Igor finally said, sounding like they had knew each other for a long time.

"Why are you interrupting my guest?" Igor raised an eyebrow, causing his already bulging eyes to look further disturbing. Shivers ran down my spine as I felt a cold tension building up in the room.

Aso walked up beside me, patted my shoulder with a reassuring grasp. I watched him look towards Igor with a somewhat triumphant smile.

"This guy is mine. Sorry to say, but I beat you to him first. He has already formed a contract with me." Aso said and summoned a parchment I had signed earlier. His three masks continue to float around him in a mysterious way. Closing his fists, the parchment disappeared immediately in a black flame.

"I see." Igor said with a weary expression.

"I've had enough of watching your 'potential guests' getting killed before they even have the chance of unlocking their powers. If it wasn't for **me**, Minato and all his comrades would have **died** back there!" Aso exclaimed as he took a step forward.

The tension in the room built up further but I continued to remain seated, rooted to the chair. Igor continued to gaze at Aso with an indifferent expression along with Elizabeth as she stood beside the old man.

Igor closed his eyes for a moment and spoke in a monotone voice, "What you are doing is affecting the natural balance-"

"SCREW THE BALANCE!" Aso shouted back before Igor could finish.

Suddenly a man in velvet appeared from a door behind Igor and walked towards Aso. The man in velvet had a pale skin just like Elizabeth. His eyes were filled with pure loathing as he silently walked up to Aso. Every step he took seemed dignified yet I could sense he was holding back a controlled rage.

"Don't you dare converse to Master Igor in that tone, Azoth."

"Brother…" Elizabeth muttered as she watched the pale faced man and fell silent.

"Oh. Look who it is? **Theodore**." Aso spoke, hinting a slight hatred to that name. "Still working for the **old bat**?" Azoth gave a mocking laugh towards Elizabeth's younger brother.

Theodore instantly grabbed Aso by the collar and lifted him up, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"**Take. That. Back.**" Theodore said through gritted teeth.

"Or what?" Aso said with a smirk as the masks suddenly stopped spinning and hovered behind Aso.

As I continued to watch the two I felt sparks in the air and knew that a fight was about to ensue. But suddenly-

"**ENOUGH BOTH OF YOU!**" Igor finally said as he slammed both his hands onto the table.

"Azoth, take your guest and **leave** this room. I do not want unnecessary fights here. Now, **get out**." Igor said in a commanding tone. Azoth had a victorious smirk and Theodore was dumbfounded for the moment.

"But Master Igor, he…"

"Leave him be, Theodore. Our other guest will be arriving shortly."

Grudgingly Theodore released Azoth and kept both his hands to his side. With a slight snicker Aso adjusted his collar and turned away.

"Lets go, Minato." Aso said and turned to one of the doors at the side. I finally stood up and followed silently, still confused with everything that had happened.

Aso opened the door and went through. Following behind him, I walked up to the door. As I stepped through the door, I heard another door behind me opened.

Igor with his usual voice, welcomed the new guest. Curiously I turned to see what was happening. Theodore stood beside Igor with a humble expression instead of Elizabeth. Someone else had taken the seat that I sat on moments ago. It was a female. That girl, haven't I seen her before? Isn't she-

Everything turned white suddenly. I winced from the sudden brightness and opened my eyes slowly. The glaring light, I realized, came from the fluorescent glare of the light on the ceiling. I brushed my hair aside and realized I was lying on a bed.

"Hey hey! You're finally awake!" Junpei said as he looked at me with a delighted look. "Man, you had everyone worried!" he laughed. "I'll go get everyone else." He said and hurried out the room.

Seems I'm back from wherever I was. I stretched my hand towards the fluorescence above my head and closed it to a fist. _I'm alive I guess._Then I realized Minako was resting her head on my lap and had fallen asleep on the chair she was sitting on.

The door was suddenly pulled open and many familiar faces walked in. Their loud abrupt foot steps woke Minako up and she realized what was happening, "Nii-san!" she shouted and gave me a tight hug as the rest gathered near my bed.

"We thought you'd be a goner." Junpei said with a nervous laugh.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

"Two weeks." Akihiko answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Not very good for your academics, Arisato-san." Mitsuru continued with a cold gaze directed at me.

"Give him a break guys, he did **save** us. Kind of." Yukari said awkwardly.

"What do you mean, '**kind of**'?" I asked, somehow annoyed.

"Well, Nii-san… You-"

"You almost **killed them all**." Shinjiro said suddenly and glared at me.

_What?_

Shinjiro must have seen my expression and gave a sarcastic chuckle.

"Seems you don't remember. You lost control over your persona and almost killed everyone." Shinjiro looked away with disgust.

All of a sudden I remembered;

_"__**EVERYONE, GET DOWN!**__" Shinji shouted as he rushed through the door and pulled out a gun, pointing to his head. "__**PERSONA!**__" He shouted and I heard the sound of shattered glass as something fast charged towards me. Thanatos quickly got in between the persona and me but was immediately destroyed by the persona and the impact blasted me away. I passed out soon after that._

I clenched my fists on the bed sheets.

"I didn't…"

My voice trailed off. I couldn't understand how I almost got my friends killed by my own hands.

Shinji grunted and walked out of the room and silence filled the room.

* * *

><p>"… And that's technically what's going on." The Inugami said as it hovered in the air and spun itself at random intervals.<p>

A teenage boy, wearing a black cap with sharp sideburns listened to the spirit and paused to think for a while. His black cape fluttered as the evening wind blew, with the sun slowly setting behind him.

"Well, Raidou? What do you think?" said a black cat, which sat beside the boy.

Its green feline eyes glowed with curiosity and years of wisdom.

"Are you sure about this?" Raidou Kuzunoha asked the spirit once more.

"I heard it myself." The Inugami nodded in agreement.

"But come on, how is it possible for a spirit to be controlling Dimensions? That just doesn't make sense!" The cat complained still having a hard time to absorb what was happening.

"Will you accept my request or not?" The dog spirit snarled.

"It may be worth while to investigate, Goto." Raidou replied and nodded towards his mentor in assurance.

"Fine." The cat sighed in defeat and sat quietly.

"Narumi may have heard something about this." Raidou suggested and turned back to the floating fox-spirit.

"Thank you, human. I should warn you to be careful, this is something never before recorded in history, even for a demon. I wish you the best of luck." The Inugami said as he slowly vanished.

"Let's go then." The cat said and began walking off.

Raidou nodded and noticed a strange blond haired man at the shrine.

"It's him again." Raidou muttered and walked up to the man.

"Seems we keep meeting in strange circumstances, don't you agree?" the man said with a smile.

"You know something, don't you?" Raidou eyed the man suspiciously.

"I may or may not." The blond-haired man teased.


	3. Card Three: Responsibility

"It's finally completed!" A dark figure cried out and cackled madly. The large monitor in front of him displayed complicated equations, complex chart and figures of various sizes. He knew that only he would understand it and only he could execute the right orders to carry them out. He was finally on the verge of completing his long research.

He stood up suddenly, knocking back his chair and turned away from the monitor. His white labcoat followed with his movement and fluttered along. Pushing his glasses back to place, he raised his head high and laughed dramatically. Both his hands were in his lab coat pocket and the moonlight gleamed off his small black-framed glasses. He elt excited, finally, after all these years he had managed to finally crack the mysteries he had searched answers for.

The figure stopped suddenly as he caught the sound of footsteps from the distance. Almost immediately the man reached for something in a secret pocket within his coat. An intruder? He would make short work of such daring people. In fact, he would be happy to use a new specimen for his 'researches'. With a murderous smirk he silently pulled a slim gleaming object from his pocket. The metal felt cold to his touch, but he was used to handling the apparatus. His eyes became sharp and was ready for the kill.

"Calm down. Its just me." A voice called out from the shadows.

The man relaxed, but only slightly. He had to be sure. "Show yourself then." He said and watched the shadows.

A loud sigh was heard and a figure dressed in green holding a briefcase walked out of the shadow. It was a young adult, he had dark purple hair and wore a green suit that somehow looked like a customized straight-jacket. His glasses were tinted yellow and he had an impatient expression on his face.

"Satisfied?" The young man said and raised the brief case. "Our deal."

The other man gave a small smirk in response and slipped the scalpel back in his pocket. He clapped both his hands and rubbed them eagerly as he walked towards the green-suited person.

"Ah, Jin, I see the task was carried out well? Your group succeeded I assume?" asked the researcher as he moved closer towards the young man.

"Yeah. And our deal?" Replied Jin with a small nod as he pulled away the briefcase before the researcher could touch it.

The researcher's hand had paused midway as the briefcase was put away from his grasp. His glasses gleamed, somewhat hiding his expression. Suddenly he had a grin on his face and his hand dived into his pocket.

"I've never backed out of our deal before have I, Jin?" The man looked at Jin with a creepy smile that sent chills down Jin's spine. But Jin remained still and watched the researcher. "I'm disappointed, Jin. Have you no faith in me?" The man finished and burst out laughing.

Jin remained indifferent and continued to watch with his steely gaze. But deep down, he was worried, the man that he was dealing with was an unstable scientist. Ex-scientist to be exact. It was best not to do anything rashly as he wasn't sure if he would leave alive.

The researcher slowly stopped laughing and glared at Jin. At the same time he pulled out a small metal box from a pocket and threw it towards Jin. The box missed Jin and flew aside. The green-suited boy rushed towards the box, catching it before it hit the floor.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Jin stood back up with the box and readjusted his glasses. He turned to see the man lifting the briefcase and returning towards the giant monitor. Lengths of wires were connected to the monitor, and the wires were also connected to various consoles with flashing LED's, it was like a scene from a movie. How could such a man like him afford such things.

He had always wondered about that, he didn't know much about the researcher, only his name, which was Vincent. Though Jin had assumed that name was just a pseudonym and the man was careful with his personal details. Vincent was a valuable asset to Jin's group, STREGA. Vincent is somewhat like a guardian to them, as well as a supplier.

Jin quietly checked the contents of the metal box and found the vials that he needed and agreed on with the reasercher earlier. The vials was important to STREGA, it was what kept them alive. Vincent was responsible for creating the drugs that kept Jin's group alive and in order to restock supplies, he and his group did errands for Vincent. Not much was known about the scientist, all that he knew was that the doctor was a nut-job but insanely smart. He would catch glimpses of the doctor with murderous intent in his eyes once in a while. Also on certain ocassions he would meet another quiet teenager speaking to Vincent. But just like Vincent, the boy was as mysterious as the man in the labcoat.

Jin turned to leave and walked towards the exit but then he stopped as he heard Vincent call out to him.

"Jin. Would you and your team be interested in doing an errand run? It might be a tiny bit difficult, but the reward is worth it. Interested?" Jin heard Vincent spoke. The offer seemed tempting, but how difficult is 'tiny bit'. Maybe he could enquire further.

Jin turned towards Vincent and noticed a sly smirk under the moonlight.

"I knew you wouldn't resist. Well the plan is-"

* * *

><p>There was a loud crash as a bystander was pushed aside into a crowd. The man was clearing a path as he charged through the busy floor. He didn't have much time left, they were onto him and he wasn't keen on getting caught by a bunch of teenagers too. He just needed to get to a wide-screened television and he would be safe. But sometimes its never that easy.<p>

"ADACHI!"

Well, speak of the devil, it seemed they finally started catching up. The young man turned behind to see a small group of teenagers chasing him, and behind them were a few police oficers. He also caught sight of the carnage he had left behind as he shoved people to the sides earlier during his run. It was a total chaos, and that helped slowed down his pursuers.

Taking a quick turn to a corner, the electronics department was finally in view. Being displayed was Tohru Adachi's sanctuary, a huge wide-screened TV. He laughed out loud as he continued running forwards.

Behind him the group of teens were busy making their way out of the mess that Adachi had left behind and the police officers had to straighten out the crowd to prevent any further problems.

"Damn it, he's getting away!" one of them shouted. His gruff expression had a look of annoyance and loathing as he watched Adachi dissapear into a corner.

"Teddie's ahead of us, isn't he? I think he can hold Adachi for a while till we get there." The female teen replied. She wasn't used to running like that but the situation had called for it. Her pink twin tailed hair made it rather hard to run, because she was worried the bands might come off. It would be a real hassle if it did and she would have taken a while till she could continue running with the group.

"Yosuke is with Teddie, so things should be alright." The leader of the group responded as he ran down to catch up with Adachi. He had to catch Adachi. That ex-police man had started everything. It was because of him that so many people had died. It was Adachi who had put Ryotaro Dojima and Nanako into the hospital. He couldn't forgive that man, and first thing was to capture that runner.

Suddenly there was a gunshot and the whole floor went into a mass hysteria as crowds flocked out of the area. The customers rushed out and began pushing away the pursuing teens as they fled the scene.

"Someone's been shot!" A voice cried.

"Quick, call for an ambulance!" Another shouted.

"There were a few police officers here, why aren't they doing anything?" A woman complained as she brushed by the group.

The group of teenagers stopped for a moment as they heard what had hapenned. Someone was shot? Could it be one of their friends that went ahead?

Seta Souji pressed on towards the electronics aisle without his friends and what he saw wrenched his insides.

There was blood. A trail of it, leading towards the huge TV. It looked bad, and he had realized there was a big struggle infront of the TV. Yosuke and Teddie might have been able to intercept Adachi, but at what price.

"I-Is that blood? Someone really did get shot?" Chie shouted as she appeared behind Souji followed by the rest of the members.

"It seems Teddie and Yosuke managed to intercept Adachi. But, all this blood..." The female analyzed as she lowered her blue cap, trying to look away from the scene.

"Lets just get in the TV and see whats the damage, damn it. Before anyone else gets in!" The gruff teen suggested and was followed by a nod from everyone.

"Please be safe you guys." The idol spoke as she followed everyone into the TV that led them to a whole new different world.

* * *

><p>The large double doors opened and the sillhouete of a cape-wearing figure and his cat extended into the room. The room was deserted except for a few low level demons that were taken care of by the caped lad in a matter of momets.<p>

"You sure we have the right address, Raidou?" the cat spoke, looking up to the young devil summoner. "Not what I expected honestly. I thought it would be more... Menacing."

The Kuzunoha descendant quietly entered the room and investigated the objects in it. What was he supposed to be looking for? Something related to a warlock that could jump through dimensions, it seems. But what exactly did he need to look for?

Gouto the cat followed the young man in and began to look around. The black cat had expected to see huge machines or symbols on the walls or the floors that could help this 'warlock' access different dimensions as well as manipulate time. But there was nothing of interest here.

Suddenly Raidou sensed a presence at the doorway and turned. His hands automatically went for his sheathed katana on his side as he turned to meet the presence.

"H-Hold it, its just me!" a familiar voice spoke out. Shouhei Narumi adjusted his hat with a smile. Sweat gleamed off his face, it was obvious he had been running.

"Any luck, Raidou?" a second voice was heard from behind Narumi as a teenage girl stepped out. It was Nagi. "I heard about the investigation from Narumi and I thought I'd lend you a hand." She spoke in a serious tone and proceeded to enter the roomwithout waiting for an invite.

"No clues at the moment. Room's clean. It was probably done on a separate location." Raidou replied as he turned back to the room. As he did so, something caught his eye and he walked over to it.

There was a door he did not notice before. Was this another room that would lead them to the 'warlock'? Before he could reach for the door, Nagi had walked ahead of him and reached the door before him.

"Hold it. There's something wrong. This doesn't feel right..." Nagi said with a calculating expression. "I'll go in first to be sure."

"No. Its too risky. Who knows what might happen to you, Nagi. Let me do it." Raidou said and reached for the handle.

"Relax. I'll be fine." She told him and opened the door before Raidou.

Suddenly something flew out the door at high speed and disappeared halfway. What was that? Raidou couldn't catch what had flew out of the door but-

He suddenly heard a gasp followed by a stifled cry. Raidou turned towards the source and found it was Nagi that had made the noise.

"Nagi are you alr-" His voice was cut off when he saw something red forming from her white inner shirt. "Nagi? NAGI!" Raidou called out as he caught her from falling back.

Hearing the commotion, Narumi and Gotou quickly ran up to the two.

"What happened, Raidou? Is Nagi oka- She was shot?" Narumi shouted and went over to Nagi.

Nagi looked up, tears welled up her eyes as it began to lose its vision. The crimson red began to spread over her shirt, it was wet, it was definitely blood.

"I-I'm sorry... I should have... been more prepared..." Nagi apologized between pained breaths. She started coughing and slowly became weak. Raidou was too dumbfounded to say anything. It should have been him who opened the door but instead, Nagi insisted.

"Raidou. Seems we found our suspect." The cat said as it looked at the other room.

A dark figure had completed its spell and the symbols on the floor glowed brightly. The figure was partially disappearing by now.

"Its too late now, Mr. Summoner" the figure smirked as it dropped a smoking gun. "Lets play again some time." It laughed madly as it dispersed into thin air.

"Raidou, GO. Thats a dimensional portal. It won't last long. Catch that guy and bring him back, NOW." Narumi ordered.

"But Nagi she's-"

"I'll be fine Raidou... I knew... it was a trap... go... stop it..." Nagi said as she placed a hand onto Raidou's hand.

The young man stood up, he should have known, Nagi knew there was a trap behind the door, probably to stop him from entering. But she had taken it so that Raidou could continue his pursuit of that mysterious man.

"Take care of her Narumi." Raidou eyed the gentleman. Narumi nodded and signalled to Raidou to chase the 'warlock'.

"Raidou! It's closing! We have to go now!" Gotou alerted Raidou. The young man turned towards the slowly dying symbols and rushed towards it. His cale fluttering behind him as he and the black cat raced towards the symbols.

He must capture this practitioner and stop him from causing damage to the balance. Thats what he wanted to, but all he could think of was the safety of Nagi. He prayed for her health and hoped he would see her again soon.

"Don't die."

The light engulfed both the cat and his accomplice.


	4. Card Four: Another Chance

It had been three days since my release from the hospital. Luckily I was alright, with just a few bruises but they would heal in time. After returning to the dorm a sudden chill rushed down my back. The usual greeting when I stepped in the dorm was absent, but everyone seemed to be in the lounge. An awkward silence pursued me. You could drop a pin and it could have been heard across the room. It was soon broken by Minako's cheerful greet as she realised that I had entered the building.

"Welcome back, Nii-san." She smiled across the room, while the others seemed to be occupied in their thoughts.

_Oh well. _

I replied her greeting with a short nod and proceeded to register myself in the sign-in sheet. I did not stay in the lounge and instead walked up to my room. Everyone must have still been worried about my Persona going berserk back then. Was it really my fault? Was I too weak in controlling **MY** own Persona?

By the time I realized it, I was already laid on my bed with my face up to the ceiling. From the window, I could tell it was late and my room had fallen dark. The bright moonlight radiated through the window and lightly illuminated the room. Once again, my head was filled with thoughts and questions.

"_Your life now belongs to me, Minato. You can summon your persona anytime with your own free will. Not everyone has this capability I assure you. Their summoning is limited to various factors. But not yours. With my help, I've made it possible for you to summon your Persona freely. But remember this, everytime you summon, your life span will be shortened."_

_Aso explained as he dropped onto his seat in the room we had entered through the doorway. The room, just like the Velvet room, was dimly lit but seemed very modern. A study table stood in the middle of the room, on opposite sides of the walls were bookshelves, lined neatly in a row. There was a huge window pane behind the desk but it was too dark to see what was on the otherside of the window. I noticed there was a spiral staircase leading to a lower floor. One had to wonder exactly how big the whole place was._

"_Make yourself at home, Minato. No seriously, I insist." Aso said suddenly sounding like what he said earlier was some minor detail. _

_I walked around to get a better view of the area. Cautiously, I stepped onto the edge of the floor and looked down to the lower level. Words could not express what I saw. The lower floor had a very wide space and was filled with all kinds of modern furniture. Sofas, coffee tables, a table counter, a television, carpets, and even a fully furnished kitchen. It felt like I had entered a rich man's living site._

"_Nice isn't it?" _

_I stepped to the side with surprise, as Aso leaned over the rail next to me._

"_Not an easy task, I assure you. But MUCH better than that old bat's place." Aso seemed proud of himself for some reason._

"_Who are you and where are we?" I finally spoke as I maintained a distance from the mysterious man._

_The young man gave a quiet chuckle as the three masks around him silently spun around him. _

"_Well, since you are my guest, I might as well tell you shouldn't I?" Aso motioned for me to sit as he walked towards the table._

"_My name is Azoth and I was once the founder of the Velvet Room. Yes, the same room we stepped out from. The old man you met earlier is Igor, who is currently in charge of that room." Aso began to explain himself._

"_You could say I am a sort of architect. So why am I here instead of there? Well, it's simple. Because the old bat banished me and I ended up here with only a limited source of energy."_

"_Wait, but if you're banished. How was it you could enter that room?" I asked and thought of the previous event that had occured._

_Aso gave a sly smile. "That is one of my abilities, Minato. I'm able to send a doppleganger through boundaries. Though it takes up my energy, I only do those things if needed. Thus I hardly use them. Now you must be wondering WHY I was banished correct?" It seemed Azoth could read my mind very well._

_I gave a nod, curiousity pulling me in deeper._

"_I defied him. He only accepted the 'gifted' guests through natural means, without being tampered, yada yada yada." Azoth began. "But there was always a big chance that the 'potential guests' would be killed before they even know they could summon their Personas. Also, even if one could summon a Persona, it didn't mean they could enter the Velvet Room. No, only a selected few could. You are one of them, Minato."_

_My heart stopped for a moment, did I hear that right? I was one of the special few?_

"_But if I left it to Igor, you would be dead, along with your other friends. It was because of my ideals that he banished me. But I was banished way back before you had existed. Its just, I became dissatisfied with all you kids with potential being slaughtered before you could even learn the truth. And yes, what I had said earlier is very real. Especially your life being used up when you summon your persona. So please. Do think before you act."_

"_But.." I found my voice. "Why save me? Why choose me?" I wanted to know._

"_Because I need help, Minato." Azoth walked over to me and gripped my shoulder. "Time is not on my side anymore, and I need back what Igor has taken from me. My 'key'. Would you please help me? I'm setting up my plans, and all I need is your help. Please."_

_I looked up and saw his face clearly for the first time. He seemed much older up close. His eyes were deep and you could feel all sorts of emotions running through them. He seemed weary and tired, no one would have guessed that this man was able to do all the things I have seen on his own._

"_I'll help you because I owe you for saving everyone dear to me." I spoke determinedly._

"_Fantastic! But I'll tell you next time, right now you need to wake up and return to your world. Time continues to move there and it would be wise for you to return soon. We will meet again soon, Minato. By then, I will tell you everything."_

Those weres Aso's last words before I had woken up in the hospital and found out that I almost killed everyone.

Turning on my bed, I buried my head on the pillow. My thoughts swirled, I'm so confused. There were still too many questions left unanswered. A soft knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. Who could that be?

"Nii-san. It's me. Kirijo-senpai asked me to call you upstairs to the meeting room. She needs to debrief you and update you on the current situation. Everyone's waiting upstairs."

I didn't respond for a moment. Could the others really forgive me so easily? Aren't they worried the same incident might happen again, and maybe next time Shinjiro might not even be there to stop me from-

"It's not your fault, Nii-san..."

I stopped at her words. Her voice was muffled behind the door, but I could hear her well enough. It felt like a huge burden was lifted off me. But the guilt still remained. It may not have been my fault, but it was because of me that I had endagered the lives of everyone.

_No._

I stood up from my bed. These thoughts would not get me anywhere. I have to move forward. Be stronger. I didn't have to rely on my Personas. I just have to train more and be stronger.

"_But remember this, everytime you summon, you're life span will be shortened."_

The door creaked open as I pulled it from the inside, and Minako stood on the other side with her cheery smile. She extended her hand towards me with her smile.

"Lets go, Nii-san."

* * *

><p>"It's a full moon tonight." A man said as he looked up into the sky. The cold wind blowing his long messy white hair. His boots tapped against the asphalt ground as he walked slowly ahead. The man was accompanied by a green suited boy and a frilly white dressed girl.<p>

"Don't you ever feel cold without a shirt on, Takaya?" Jin asked as he observed Takaya's naked upper body.

"I'm used to it." Takaya lowered his head and looked at Jin quizically. "Are you certain this is where the doctor wanted us to go, Jin?"

"Affirmitive. We're here to collect a package and hopefully test out those kids from before." Jin replied as he pushed back his glasses.

"The students that the doctor had specifically targeted a few weeks ago?" Asked the girl. Her voice was small and frail, it could have been easily lost if you did not listen properly.

"The very same group, Chidori. He told us that they have the potential to summon personas and he needs their data to finish his so called 'research'." Jin groaned. "But he promised us a better supply if we manage to pull this scheme off without trouble."

Takaya snorted. "Lets just get this over and done with. We don't have all night."

* * *

><p>The tension in the meeting room seemed to have escalated as I appeared in the room with Minako behind me. With a nod from Mitsuru, everyone returned to their seats. Shinjiro Aragaki, Akihiko Sanada, Junpei Iori, Yukari Takeba and even Aigis was present.<p>

"We will begin the briefing then." Mitsuru spoke.

The room was in silence as I took a seat on the couch.

"As you may all know from my explanation before, the creatures that we fought on the school roof was known as 'Shadows'. It seems that each of us were specifically targeted too. I'm sure you all know that we're all gifted with the power to summon forth our Persona with the help of the Evokers." Mitsuru began with her arms crossed on her chest.

"There are a few things during this event that made me worry. Firstly, we all seemed to have went through a phase similar to the Dark Hour which only shows itself at the stroke of midnight. Secondly, our school was it's main target area and only we were aware of such an event. Thirdly, if what we had experienced was the Dark Hour, why hadn't our school turned into Tartarus?" Mitsuru paused for a moment.

I had a hard time trying to absorb each fact as well as some of the new terms Mitsuru had mentioned. Evokers? Dark Hour? Tartarus? What have I been missing for two weeks?

"I fear there might be someone or something directing the attacks to us. I'm not sure why or how, but we must keep our guard up. Always. Until we figure this mystery out we'll have to be extra careful." There was another pause and suddenly, "Minato Arisato."

My name was called out.

"I'd like to represent everyone in this room and wish to apologize to you for our treatment on you. We hope you accept our apologies and would fight alongside us. We have faith in you."

Mitsuru looked at me as she said those words, I could tell she really meant them and that she wants the group to move forward together. She didn't seem to be as cold as I first thought she was. But it was hard to read her expression as she focused on me.

"Of course, Senpai. I'll do my best and won't burden any of you-"

My words were cut short as Shinjiro grunted and walked outside the room in an angered fashion.

"Hey, Shinji!" Akihiko called out to the gruff teen. "I'm sorry for Shinji, he's always like that." He apologized and rushed after Shinjiro outside.

"Cheer up man. We'll be here for you!" Junpei said from across the table with a thumbs up.

I finally felt relieved, to be given another chance by my friends, it seemed everything was going well. But then Mitsuru placed a briefcase onto the table and opened it.

Surprise followed by shock, is that a real gun in the briefcase? A red armband laid underneath the gun, 'SEES'. What did that mean?

"This is an evoker. It helps summon your Persona. SEES is the group name we had agreed on. The Special Extracurricular Execution Squad, SEES for short." Mitsuru explained, as if she had read my mind.

It took a while for me to absorb everything. I lifted and closely inspected the evoker that was found in the briefcase. Silently I kept it back and picked up the armband and closed the briefcase.

"Eh? But you need the evoker to summon your persona!" Yukari said as she was surprised with my decision.

"_Your life span will be shortened."_

Those words continued to haunt me, I couldn't rely on my persona, I have to train myself to be stronger and only use my persona if I really need it.

"I'll just get Akihiko to train me." I said with a smile.

"EH?" The whole room was filled with the same disbeliefed tone.


	5. Card Five: Motivation

"Shinji!" The teenage boxer called out as he chased the silhouette of his friend down the stairs.

With a grunt, Shinjiro stopped and turned to Akihiko. "Stop following me Aki. We both know how dangerous that new 'recruit' of yours can be if he loses it. Hell, you all wouldn't be here if I didn't come up in time!"

Akihiko looked away and fell silent. Quietly turning back, Shinjiro stomped towards the exit of the dorm building.

"Wait. Shinji! It's not too late, we can still help him learn how to control his persona. He has a great power, he just needs to-"

"I'm done Aki. I'll be sure to visit your graves." Shinjiro interrupted and slammed the door shut behind him.

The slam reverberated through the dorm and Akihiko stood, his eyes fixed to the door. He tightened his grip and returned to the flight of stairs, back to the meeting room. Small doubts started to creep up on him, but he shook it off and hoped that his friend was wrong. As he approached the door, he heard something being mentioned behind the doors by the new recruit.

* * *

><p>"Eh?" Was a very appropriate response from everyone when they heard my suggestion. It must have been a surprise for them to hear that I would not need an evoker and that I would rely on my natural strength. I could not really blame them for being so surprised, even I am too. And speak of the devil, Sanada-senpai walks in to the room at such an appropriate timing.<p>

I realised that all eyes had turned to the teenage boxer.

"Something happened?" Akihiko asked with a puzzled look and noticed that he became the sudden centre of attention.

"Minato had suggested that he would like to be trained by you. It seems he does not require the use of an evoker and would rather fight them head on, with his own hands" Aigis suddenly spoke mechanically. She must really be a robot and that my assumptions was more or less on the mark.

Akihiko took a while to process what Aigis had said and eyed me. "You sure about that? I'm only good with my fists. It won't do you good if you can't keep up with my pacing." He grinned slightly. He must be have been proud because of my request.

"I'm sure of it, though I might need to ask everyone to teach me how to properly use various equipments." I paused for a while. That did not sound like a bad idea, everyone in this room had experience with different weapons. Yukari was a member of the Archery club, I've seen Mitsuru practice her fencing skills once a while too. Minako had expertly repelled the Shadows on the roof with a poled weapon. Where did she learn to defend herself so well?

"Maybe... If it's alright, I'd like to learn from everyone. It's best to have a wide range of knowledge on weapons after all. Especially at a time like this." I explained and looked at everyone in the room.

Junpei stood up suddenly and slapped his puffed out chest, "Yeah, maybe I could teach you one or two things on how to use a sword. I'm pretty good in using it, you know?" He did a swinging motion that seemed to represent a baseball bat swing. I was not sure if he was joking.

"The art of fencing requires you to have excellent foot work, Arisato. I'm sure boxing has the same conditions. Am I right, Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked and turned to Akihiko who decided to enter and take a seat.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Footwork. You have to be quick on the reflexes too. I guess fencing is almost the same as boxing in a way." The teenage boxer replied.

With a small smile, the red-head turned to me, "Well, it seems you will be busy with training. But don't forget your studies, Arisato. Try and manage your time wisel-"

A loud alarm rang through the computer monitor in the room. Suddenly the screen flashed and showed a live video feed. All attention was then drawn towards the monitor. What was happening?

"This doesn't look good." Mitsuru paced quickly towards the console and rapidly keyed in some computer commands, which brought up complicated charts and figures.

Behind me, I realised that Aigis became tensed as she looked at the monitor. She quietly muttered a word.

"Shadows."

* * *

><p>There was a thick fog everywhere, even with their special glasses on, it was very hard to see clearly around them. The group of teenagers pushed on regardless of the fog. The man they were chasing, he could not be forgiven for what he had done in the real world. They were still surprised that the man was the true criminal behind the serial killings in their hometown. Tohru Adachi was certainly not a man they could take lightly with.<p>

Earlier, the group was in hot pursuit of the ex-police through the town and the Junes Store. They had managed to intercept him at first, but Adachi had reacted by shooting one of the members, Teddie. Luckily enough the shot was not fatal, but did require immediate medical assistance. Another member from the group, Yosuke Hanamura, volunteered to bring the bleeding boy out and watch over Teddie until he had recovered. The remainder of the group continued to run through the fog with the help of Rise's abilities to sense Adachi's presence.

"Damn it! Whats with this fog? I thought these glasses were supposed to let us see **through **the fog?" A gruff teen complained as he switched his dark glasses back and forth.

A girl with a green jacket beside the teen nodded in agreement, "Exactly! How are we even supposed to find that Adachi in this fog?"

"Don't worry guys, I'm trying my best to keep up with him. He's not really far ahead, but this fog just makes it harder for us to move through." The scanner replied. Her pink twin tails lightly bopping up and down as she continued walking in the middle of the group.

The leader of the group, a grey haired teenager with a lean build, quietly surveyed his surroundings. It was strange, they never encountered any Shadows during their search for Adachi in the TV world. The fog was not a usual sight either. What was happening? Was it a trap that Adachi had set up?

Naoto had her gun loaded and holstered on her side. She was prepared for any ambushes that might appear out of the fog. She had calculated the possibility of Adachi trying any cheap tricks by using the fog to his advantage, but the longer they trudge through, the more her assumptions faltered. But she was prepared for any outcome that might happen.

"Ah! He's right infront of us, guys!" Rise informed her friends and they all sprinted towards her mentioned direction. "Huh? Wait, he's... gone?" Rise suddenly stopped as she lost his presence suddenly. The rest of the members continued but stopped as the fog started to clear out and they were all surprised to see an object in the middle of the area they were in.

A small television stood in the middle of a flat empty land. The glass of its screen reflected images of the members that stood before it.

"Adachi escaped from this world using this TV?" Kanji said out loud and looked closer at the screen.

"It is definitely able to fit one person through at least." Naoto mentioned as she stepped closer to the television set.

Without a word Souji put his arm through the screen, and as expected, his hand passed through the screen like it was made of liquid.

"Hey. We don't even know where it might lead us, Souji." Chie said and pulled his hand away from the screen.

"We have to get Adachi. At all costs. I don't want him to repeat his crimes in other places. We can't just sit idly by and let him escape!" Souji exclaimed, pulling back his arm from the girl's grip.

"He's right. We have to stop that bastard before he hurts more people." Kanji agreed and rubbed his fists.

"I guess we have no choice then." Yukiko said quietly and watched Souji entering the television through the glass screen.


	6. Card Six: Decoy

**_Foreword: I'm very sorry for my delay in writing and updating of this series. I've been pretty busy with a lot of things, maybe too many things these few months. But now with my free time I hope to at least finish the chapters and hopefully entice more people to read it. I myself hate being left over cliff-hangers, especially if the story seems interesting, so I will try my best to bulk upload more chapters to make up for my absence._**

**_So far, what do you guys think of this series? Anything to add? Something to reduce? Probably add in a guest star? I'll definitely make some unexpected twists in the future chapters, but for now, it'll be a probably slow ride. But well, the slowest rides always have the tendency of having the most adrenaline-filled roller-coaster drop *laughs*_**

**_As usual, hope to hear your reviews on my latest chapter and I'd like to apologize if I sound a bit rustier, it's been a while since I went back to writing creatively._**

**_Thank you very much to everyone's who's favourited and followed my series, it means a lot to me to see the ongoing support during my absence. You guys are the best!_**

* * *

><p>I would be lying if I said that I would be fine moving through a coffin-filled city that was illuminated by a huge green orb in the sky. Surprisingly, that orb is or was the moon, according to Mitsuru's explanation. Though I was very sure the moon wasn't so big as it was tonight, or that it gave off a green vibe either. Also, what was with the numerous upright coffins scattered around the city? Wherever I turned, there would be a coffin nearby and pools of red liquid on the walkway. <em>Is that blood?<em> My mind was racing with all sorts of questions, but from what Junpei told me earlier, it seems all these 'decorations' was because of the effects of the 'Dark Hour'.

From what I understood, the 'Dark Hour' is a period of time that would appear only at the stroke of midnight. Basically in a nutshell, those with 'potential' are able to experience an extra hour, while others would be stuck in coffins without knowing that a whole hour had just gone by. The funny bit was that, to us, we would feel the full brunt of that one hour, while the others would only feel one second pass them by. Not really a fair trade, but I guess it might have certain advantages in the long run.

"Are you feeling fine, Minato?" Said a voice, interrupting my thoughts for the moment.

Turning to the voice, I looked towards the blonde haired robot which had her head tilted slightly in curiosity.

With a small nod, I seemed to have answered her question and she continued ahead of me. Honestly, I was not sure on how to answer her question and probably an action is enough to define an answer.

Suddenly I was put into a headlock and realised that it was Junpei. "Hey, hey. Lighten up man, we're about to be bringing some smackdown on those annoying little shadows and be heroes! Heroes, man!" He shouted and adjusted his blue cap on his head with his free hand.

"Well, seems _someone'__s_ very excited." Yukari walked by while ignoring us both. Strapped on her back was a pouch that kept her arrows arranged. Her long resin bow was slung over her shoulder.

After receiving an alert that there was a huge Shadow in Paulownia mall, Mitsuru had given the orders for us to be deployed there and ensure it did not make a big mess. By 'mess', I assume she must have meant public disorder at the end of the Dark Hour. With that, Minako, Akihiko, Junpei, Yukari, Aigis and myself, had begun our travel towards the city mall on Dark Hour, thus the reason we were unable to take the train for a more shorter and direct route.

Soon after, our group arrived at the entrance of the mall and waited for the arrival of our operation coordinator, Mitsuru Kirijo. Her role was to act as our eyes and also intel when facing the shadows, which should make things slightly easier than mindlessly walking around.

As we waited, we heard a loud humming of possibly a motorcycle engine. It was getting closer, but how could that be? Weren't all the electronic devices and machines deactivated when the Dark Hour started? My answer however came in the form of a female motorist skidding her bike to a stop beside me. I wasn't sure if I was lucky, or that she was an experienced motorist.

Raising her helmet, her long curled red hair fell back into place. There was no doubt on her identity. Quietly turning to the group with a slightly surprised expression, she asked why did they have a look of awe when she arrived.

"Didn't you tell us that no mode of transport would be able to work during the Dark Hour?" Junpei protested as he got off the bench he was sitting on.

"Yes I did." Mitsuru replied with a small smile as she placed her helmet on the seat of the motorbike. "But this bike is special, I had it customized exactly for use during the dark hour." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, this bike is fitted with equipment that helps enhance her Persona's scouting skill." Akihiko said and patted the compartment case of the vehicle.

"B-But, that's not fair isn't it-"

"Exactly _what _isn't fair, Iori-san?" Mitsuru interrupted Junpei with a cold glare.

After setting up our 'mobile base', Mitsuru quickly divided the group into three teams; a 'Home' team and two 'Strike' teams.  
>"Basically, the home team will stay behind with me and will provide reinforcement for the Strike team if needed. The Strike team, as the name implies, will be responsible in searching for the target Shadow and exterminate it as swiftly as possible. I'm sure that explanation will be suffice." The red-head briefed us almost immediately.<p>

"Aw, come on! Why do _I _have to be part of the bench warmers? I want a piece of the action too, you know." Junpei pouted, and fell back onto his seat.  
>Yukari shook her head with a small sigh. She was in the same team with Junpei after all. Akihiko was paired up with my sister, and I was paired with my 'guardian android'.<p>

"Let's do our best!" Minako cheered. "Ai-chan, take care of nii-san alright? He tends to get into a lot of trouble most of the tim-" I gave an obvious loud scoff to cut her off.

"Understood. Be sure to report to us if you find the enemy, Minako." Aigis responded with a brief nod.  
>Minako returned the nod and rushed towards Akihiko who seemed impatient in waiting.<p>

_Just how can Minako be so calm about this whole situation? Even if I don't show it, I'm actually worried about this whole mess._

"Is something wrong, Minato? You seem to be deep in thought." The robot asked, tilting her head slightly.  
>"I-I'm fine. Just thinking about something." I quickly turned to her with a serious expression. "Let's go and find this <em>thing<em>. The mall is a small place, so I'm sure we'll find it soon."

With that, both teams separated and began a search for the giant that resides within the mall. Once it's beaten, everything will return to normal, at least for the moment, right?  
><em>So why do I have a bad feeling about all this?<em>

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><p>"Is everyone in place?" A voice spoke out from the radio.<p>

"Yeah. I'm with Chidori at the extraction point. What about you, Takaya?" Jin responded.

"I've ran into some trouble earlier, but the shadow has taken care of it. The little sheep should have found the location of our decoy by now." Takaya replied with a slight malice in his voice.

"The package should be arriving soon. At least, that's what the Doctor mentioned." The boy glanced at his watch.

Chidori sat behind him and was preoccupied with her sketch. Humming a tune, she held a small pencil and delicately sketched out the outlines of the scenery. A city filled with gloom, illuminated in green, littered with coffins. It was a disturbing sight to most, even to Jin, but the lolita-dressed girl found a sort of tranquility when she drew. It might be the only thing that kept her somewhat calm during times like this.

"I'll contact you when it arrives." Static followed Takaya's words.

Jin kept the radio away and remained still. A small ounce of regret loomed at the back of his mind, but it was too late to stop now. He had to see this 'grand scheme' to the end.

* * *

><p>It felt odd walking through an empty dark mall. If situations were different, I would have looked very much like a burglar that broke into the mall. Actually, whichever the situation was, this was still called a break-in nonetheless. Oh the irony.<p>

So far, everything looked like it was in place. There were no signs of a forced entry from the outside at all. The mall was small, and it's normal entry points were not far from one another, so it would have been very easy to find broken barricades or doors.

Aigis had stopped behind me and it seems she was in a conversation with someone over her radio. Again I surveyed my surroundings and couldn't really pinpoint any sort of clues. This was going anywhere. Was Minako making any better progress?

"Understood."

It seems Aigis' conversation had ended.

"Mitsuru has informed me of a lead found by Akihiko. She says it is best for us to regroup to them and eliminate the shadow at once. We need to hurry." Again, it felt like Aigis could read my mind before I could even ask her.

"Why didn't she tell me that through my radio too? I feel kind of left out here..." I said, feeling annoyed at it.

Aigis looked at me curiously, "But she's informed everyone through the public channel. You should be able to hear it too, Minato."

Odd. How could that be? If Mitsuru did say that then-

I suddenly realized that my radio was turned off and as soon as I flicked it on, immediate chatter bombarded me. It sounded very serious from Akihiko's tone. Even Mitsuru sounded somewhat worried.

"We need to get Shinji immediate treatment now!" He shouted through the radio.

Immediately both of us sprinted to Akihiko's location.


End file.
